After this past week, I will never have the same level of trust with anyone. I don’t know what this dog was exposed to nor all that she had to endure. Her pictures told me she was stressed, and I had a maternal instinct that something wasn’t right the whole time we were gone. That was confirmed when we returned from our trip and be told our dog was in Ohio.
I mean, who does that without exhausting emergency contacts (including my husband, daughter and me) and local options first — to release oneself from caring for an animal, when needing to assist with the care of a loved one in another state?
I’ll tell you who — no one I know.
Even last year when we were on this same visit to the northeast to spend some time with my dad, this family phoned us mid-week to say they were needing us to come get our dog so they could fly to the Hamptons for the 4th. No problem.
None of it makes any sense. The deception, the lies, the desire to take another person’s dog with them on vacation. It’s crazy.
But just as concerning is Zoe’s behavior since coming home. For starters, Zoe was not fed her own food which we provided. All or nearly all of it was returned with the dog. I think that Zoe must have had to compete for food too, since we have noticed Zoe is right under foot when we are in the kitchen. She seems to be competing with the cat, which never used to happen. Zoe always patiently would sit and know that her turn was coming when giving them something extra at the same time. Zoe also has not eaten any of her food since coming home.
We’ve also noticed Zoe is rolling over on her side or back a lot with her paws in front of her. She moved around the bed a lot last night and was very restless which is something new. Her energy level for play isn’t as high as it always was. And whenever my husband or I leave the room, Zoe is up on her feet ready to follow. Can anyone offer any thoughts about this?
She has enjoyed her two long walks, even as hot as it is here in Dallas. About 10 o’clock last night, we noticed that Zoe had left the tv room, and we found her lying under our bed which she would only do once we were in there at night for bed. And her ears aren’t up like they usually would be. They are down by her head, so add that to the list.
I don’t want to make guesses, but it sure is hard not to. These people may skate through life doing and getting whatever they desire, but getting into heaven isn’t that easy. And keeping our dog from us for 6 agonizing days and vice versa is cruel and very, very twisted.
Thank you to everyone for the well wishes!!
The fact that they had you come home early last year because they had 4th of July plans should have been a red flag for you this time around considering they told you in advance that they were going away. That really should have been the end of it, but you gave them your dog anyway. Bet you don’t let them dog sit ever again.
As for Zoe rolling onto her back I could only guess. With cats it shows complete trust. Not sure if it means the same with dogs. Maybe they taught her to ‘play dead’?
You didn’t say what type dogs they have. They may have fed all the dogs at the same time from the same dish. The bad thing is that they messed her up for her own food.
I think in time she’ll get used to your feeding routine again. I’d get her back to her usual food soon though. Just put it out there. When she gets hungry enough she will go back to it.
My guess is the other dogs may not have liked the “competition”. On back with paws up is submissive behavior. The other dogs may have felt she was taking master’s attention away. It also sounds like she had to compete for the food. Deliberately and firmly reestablish your routines and habits, correcting odd or unusual behavior on her part. Hopefully she will get over it and return to her old self. I would never recommend leaving a dog with people who have other pets because your dog’s routine, habits and hierarchy will go all to heck. Much better to leave the dog with a professional boarder or have someone house-sit who fully understands what is expected and can be trusted to follow directions.